Japan Plans Retaliatory Tariffs against United States

Japan is considering tariffs on U.S. exports worth $409 million in retaliation against steel and aluminum import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, media reported on Thursday.

Such a move would signal Tokyo is ready to go beyond backdoor talks and pleas for exemptions from the U.S. duties.

It would also add to a growing rift that Trump’s “America First” trade policies is creating among major economies, which threatens to slow global trade and business activity.

Japan is the only major U.S. ally that did not receive exemptions from Trump’s tariff decision. But it has refrained from following in the footsteps of China and the European Union, which responded to the U.S. decision with reciprocal threats.

That may change as months of negotiations have failed to convince Washington to add Japan to a list of countries exempted from the U.S. tariffs, analysts say.